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Saturday, May 13, 2017

AMAZING SAJEK

AMAZING SAJEK

Sajek is located in the verdant hills of Kasalong range of mountains amidst the serene and exotic beauty of nature. You will notice lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of hilly tracks. On the way you will cross Mayni range, River Mayni and River Kasalong where you will feel that the green and blue harmonized together.

Sajek is located in the verdant hills of Kasalong range of mountains amidst the serene and exotic beauty of nature. You will notice lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of hilly tracks. On the way you will cross Mayni range, River Mayni and River Kasalong where you will feel that the green and blue harmonized together. For the ups and downs of the road, sometime you will feel that you are very close to touch the sky and sometime you are fallen to the valley.

If you want enjoy tropical mountain and the beauty of valleys of mountain and want to stay above the cloud Sajek is the place you might love to go. Sajek is a union (administrative centre of villages in Bangladesh) under Baghaichari Upazilla of Rangamati Hill District. But the fact is one cannot go to Sajek from the Rangamati District Directly rather you need to go there through Khagrachari Hill District so people always believe that it’s in Khagrachari Hill District. Sajek union is the largest one in Bangladesh and larger than many of the sub-districts of Bangladesh. The main tourist attraction here is Ruilui Para (Para means village in English) and Konglak Para. Ruilui para has been developed and maintained as an tourism spot by Bangladesh Army.

The road to Sajek from Khagrachari is the most beautiful road in Bangladesh. The last point of this road is Ruilui Para. The last 2 kilometers of this road is on the peaks of Sajek Hill Range and above 1800 feet from the sea level which make this road above the cloud for height. Both sides of this road have two different valleys one is in Bangladesh side and another valley ended in Indian State of Mizoram and the high mountains of Mizoram State.”

Sajek is popularly known as Kingdom of Cloud as you will stay above the cloud level and at the dawn Sajek is submerged in cloud and look like an island in the middle of the cloud. Sajek is the only places in Bangladesh where Coffee Beans are cultivated and also Sajek is famous for Tangerine Orchard so don’t forget to have the test of fresh picked Tangerines. There is a “30 minutes walking trail” for adventure seekers to visit Konglak village which is in the highest point of Sajek. You will get a 360 degree view of 2 valleys of Sajek from highest point of Konglak Para. You will also find Jumm Lands (Mountain Agriculture System) on the way to Sajek Tourist Spot.

How to go there:

If one wants to go to Sajek, s/he has to come to Khagrachari District first. To reach Khagrachari from Dhaka or Chittagong by road journey is the only option. There are lots of bus services both from Dhaka and Chittagong. From Dhaka, both A/C and Non A/C services are available. A/C bus would cost BDT 750 and Non A/C Chair Coach bus will cost around BDT 520. Buses are available from Saydabad, Kolabagan and Komolapur Bus Terminal in Dhaka. Soudia, S. Alam, Shyamoli, Econo and Shanti Transport Services are some decent bus services from Dhaka. From Khagrachari, one must reserve a four wheeler jeep as it is a mountain road. Locally these four wheelers are known as Chander Gari (Usually model 50 Toyota land cruiser) and will cost BDT 7000 for an up-down trip and stay over at Sajek for one night. Otherwise, for each day, the car would cost BDT 4000-4500 A day. These one CHANDER GARI can accommodate 18 people usually with 9 seats and other 9 on the rooftop. There are also some local not so frequent services of Chander Gari from Khagrachari to Dighinala and separate services from Dighinala-Sajek. So for tourists, it is advices to go to Sajek with reserved vehicle. One can drive their personal cars there too, but as the road is in the mountain, so it is advised if you are one a pro in driving in mountain roads, please avoid self driven cars and also be aware about your chauffeurs/drivers driving skill as well.

What to Do in Sajek:

Sajek Tourist Spot is on the peak of the mountain ranges and one easily reaches there by cars. So it’s not a trekking trail for mountain adventure seekers. But there is a short trail from Ruilui Village to Konglak Village trail that an adventure seeker can walk. Konglak Village is on the top of the Mount Sippu (Highest peak in Sajek Mountain Range). The peak of Sippu offers a 360 degree clear view of the surrounding areas as there no other ranges near from there. You explore the lifestyle of indigenous tribes of Bangladesh as Konglak is a tribal village. The residents of Konglak village cultivate coffee beans here, so you can get the taste of fresh and home roasted coffee here.

There are two army helipads in Sajek valley on top of two mountain peaks. One offers the view of the valley in Indian Side and also offers the view of Sunrise. Another helipad offers the view of another valley which is on the Bangladesh side and offers the view of Sunset.

There is a water falls on the way to Sajek from Khagrachari, if you are in a reserved a jeep, if you ask your jeep jockey he will take you to that falls which is named “Hajachora Falls” It would take 10 minutes to reach there from the road.

Accommodation:

Sajek is a small hill station, yet there are 2 luxury resorts operated by Bangladesh Army, one is Rock Sajek and another is Runmoy Resort. Each double room in Rock Sajek would cost BDT 15000-12000-10000 respectively for different types of rooms. Another Army Resort is Runmoy Resort which would cost BDT 4500 for double bed rooms. There is another resort named Alo Resort which would cost BDT 700-1300 per night. One can also stay in some boarding houses and be paid guest in tribal houses for BDT 150 per night.

Food:

Sajek has only one luxury restaurants operated by Bangladesh Army named as Rock Rajek. There are some decent restaurants that sell Bangladeshi Cuisine at very cheap price. There are also some tea stalls which also sale some snacks, bananas etc. But remember one thing, no food shops keeps prepared foods, rather they take order and cook food based on ordered quantity. So please order for food 2 hours before the meal time.

Cost: Sajek is ideal place to visit both for tourists and bag packers as well. One can avail luxuries for higher price and also avail basics at a cheaper price for bag packers. I am a bag packer, I am sharing my experience here. I took Non A/C bus to reach to Khagrachari, it did cost BDT 520 and BDT 1040 for round ticket, I was attached to a group of 11 people, so we hired a jeep for BDT 7000 taka for 2 days and each had to pay around 650 taka. We stayed in a boarding house which costed BDT 150 per night on a shared room basis. Per meal traditional Bangladeshi meal costs around BDT 120-150 (3 meals a day, break fast with Paratha with Curry and Egg would cost BDT 50) so for 2 days and night, it cost me BDT 400 a day with snacks and cups of tea(BDT 6 a Cup).

Security Issues:

Sajek and the road to Sajek, both are in mountain region of Khagrachari and Rangamati Hill District. This area was once controlled by the armed militants of Hill Tracts Guerrila Groups but since the signing ceremony of Peace Accord with the Guerillas with the Bangladesh Govt. in 1997, this area was safe as anywhere of Bangladesh but due to the bitter experience of past can make one confused about safety, but since the peace accord was signed, the militants are not active here anymore. But still, to mitigate this confusions of travellers who wants to visit Sajek Valley, Bangladesh Army provides security escort service in the road to Sajek and also the Sajek Tourism Spot is also secured by a Army Camp, Border Guard Bangladesh Border outpost and a Ansar Camp. So feel free to travel in Sajek.

Tips: Sajek is not connected with the national electricity grid line. Only generators and solar electricity system provides electricity in Sajek. No matter what season it is, as Sajek is 1800 feet up from the sea level, at night the temparature might drope down to 2o-22 degree celcius in summer. So keep a windbreaker with you while travelling to Sajek. Only two cell phone operators has network coverage in Sajek, Robi and Teletalk, so carry either one of the operators SIM card.

Sajek is located in the verdant hills of Kasalong range of mountains amidst the serene and exotic beauty of nature. You will notice lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of hilly tracks. On the way you will cross Mayni range, River Mayni and River Kasalong where you will feel that the green and blue harmonized together.

Sajek is located in the verdant hills of Kasalong range of mountains amidst the serene and exotic beauty of nature. You will notice lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of hilly tracks. On the way you will cross Mayni range, River Mayni and River Kasalong where you will feel that the green and blue harmonized together. For the ups and downs of the road, sometime you will feel that you are very close to touch the sky and sometime you are fallen to the valley.

If you want enjoy tropical mountain and the beauty of valleys of mountain and want to stay above the cloud Sajek is the place you might love to go. Sajek is a union (administrative centre of villages in Bangladesh) under Baghaichari Upazilla of Rangamati Hill District. But the fact is one cannot go to Sajek from the Rangamati District Directly rather you need to go there through Khagrachari Hill District so people always believe that it’s in Khagrachari Hill District. Sajek union is the largest one in Bangladesh and larger than many of the sub-districts of Bangladesh. The main tourist attraction here is Ruilui Para (Para means village in English) and Konglak Para. Ruilui para has been developed and maintained as an tourism spot by Bangladesh Army.

The road to Sajek from Khagrachari is the most beautiful road in Bangladesh. The last point of this road is Ruilui Para. The last 2 kilometers of this road is on the peaks of Sajek Hill Range and above 1800 feet from the sea level which make this road above the cloud for height. Both sides of this road have two different valleys one is in Bangladesh side and another valley ended in Indian State of Mizoram and the high mountains of Mizoram State.”

Sajek is popularly known as Kingdom of Cloud as you will stay above the cloud level and at the dawn Sajek is submerged in cloud and look like an island in the middle of the cloud. Sajek is the only places in Bangladesh where Coffee Beans are cultivated and also Sajek is famous for Tangerine Orchard so don’t forget to have the test of fresh picked Tangerines. There is a “30 minutes walking trail” for adventure seekers to visit Konglak village which is in the highest point of Sajek. You will get a 360 degree view of 2 valleys of Sajek from highest point of Konglak Para. You will also find Jumm Lands (Mountain Agriculture System) on the way to Sajek Tourist Spot.

How to go there:

If one wants to go to Sajek, s/he has to come to Khagrachari District first. To reach Khagrachari from Dhaka or Chittagong by road journey is the only option. There are lots of bus services both from Dhaka and Chittagong. From Dhaka, both A/C and Non A/C services are available. A/C bus would cost BDT 750 and Non A/C Chair Coach bus will cost around BDT 520. Buses are available from Saydabad, Kolabagan and Komolapur Bus Terminal in Dhaka. Soudia, S. Alam, Shyamoli, Econo and Shanti Transport Services are some decent bus services from Dhaka. From Khagrachari, one must reserve a four wheeler jeep as it is a mountain road. Locally these four wheelers are known as Chander Gari (Usually model 50 Toyota land cruiser) and will cost BDT 7000 for an up-down trip and stay over at Sajek for one night. Otherwise, for each day, the car would cost BDT 4000-4500 A day. These one CHANDER GARI can accommodate 18 people usually with 9 seats and other 9 on the rooftop. There are also some local not so frequent services of Chander Gari from Khagrachari to Dighinala and separate services from Dighinala-Sajek. So for tourists, it is advices to go to Sajek with reserved vehicle. One can drive their personal cars there too, but as the road is in the mountain, so it is advised if you are one a pro in driving in mountain roads, please avoid self driven cars and also be aware about your chauffeurs/drivers driving skill as well.

What to Do in Sajek:

Sajek Tourist Spot is on the peak of the mountain ranges and one easily reaches there by cars. So it’s not a trekking trail for mountain adventure seekers. But there is a short trail from Ruilui Village to Konglak Village trail that an adventure seeker can walk. Konglak Village is on the top of the Mount Sippu (Highest peak in Sajek Mountain Range). The peak of Sippu offers a 360 degree clear view of the surrounding areas as there no other ranges near from there. You explore the lifestyle of indigenous tribes of Bangladesh as Konglak is a tribal village. The residents of Konglak village cultivate coffee beans here, so you can get the taste of fresh and home roasted coffee here.

There are two army helipads in Sajek valley on top of two mountain peaks. One offers the view of the valley in Indian Side and also offers the view of Sunrise. Another helipad offers the view of another valley which is on the Bangladesh side and offers the view of Sunset.

There is a water falls on the way to Sajek from Khagrachari, if you are in a reserved a jeep, if you ask your jeep jockey he will take you to that falls which is named “Hajachora Falls” It would take 10 minutes to reach there from the road.

Accommodation:

Sajek is a small hill station, yet there are 2 luxury resorts operated by Bangladesh Army, one is Rock Sajek and another is Runmoy Resort. Each double room in Rock Sajek would cost BDT 15000-12000-10000 respectively for different types of rooms. Another Army Resort is Runmoy Resort which would cost BDT 4500 for double bed rooms. There is another resort named Alo Resort which would cost BDT 700-1300 per night. One can also stay in some boarding houses and be paid guest in tribal houses for BDT 150 per night.

Food:

Sajek has only one luxury restaurants operated by Bangladesh Army named as Rock Rajek. There are some decent restaurants that sell Bangladeshi Cuisine at very cheap price. There are also some tea stalls which also sale some snacks, bananas etc. But remember one thing, no food shops keeps prepared foods, rather they take order and cook food based on ordered quantity. So please order for food 2 hours before the meal time.

Cost: Sajek is ideal place to visit both for tourists and bag packers as well. One can avail luxuries for higher price and also avail basics at a cheaper price for bag packers. I am a bag packer, I am sharing my experience here. I took Non A/C bus to reach to Khagrachari, it did cost BDT 520 and BDT 1040 for round ticket, I was attached to a group of 11 people, so we hired a jeep for BDT 7000 taka for 2 days and each had to pay around 650 taka. We stayed in a boarding house which costed BDT 150 per night on a shared room basis. Per meal traditional Bangladeshi meal costs around BDT 120-150 (3 meals a day, break fast with Paratha with Curry and Egg would cost BDT 50) so for 2 days and night, it cost me BDT 400 a day with snacks and cups of tea(BDT 6 a Cup).

Security Issues:

Sajek and the road to Sajek, both are in mountain region of Khagrachari and Rangamati Hill District. This area was once controlled by the armed militants of Hill Tracts Guerrila Groups but since the signing ceremony of Peace Accord with the Guerillas with the Bangladesh Govt. in 1997, this area was safe as anywhere of Bangladesh but due to the bitter experience of past can make one confused about safety, but since the peace accord was signed, the militants are not active here anymore. But still, to mitigate this confusions of travellers who wants to visit Sajek Valley, Bangladesh Army provides security escort service in the road to Sajek and also the Sajek Tourism Spot is also secured by a Army Camp, Border Guard Bangladesh Border outpost and a Ansar Camp. So feel free to travel in Sajek.

Tips: Sajek is not connected with the national electricity grid line. Only generators and solar electricity system provides electricity in Sajek. No matter what season it is, as Sajek is 1800 feet up from the sea level, at night the temparature might drope down to 2o-22 degree celcius in summer. So keep a windbreaker with you while travelling to Sajek. Only two cell phone operators has network coverage in Sajek, Robi and Teletalk, so carry either one of the operators SIM card.